This invention relates to document retention in general, and more specifically to document storage and retrieval.
Individual documents are commonly retrievably stored in file folders designed to be removably installed in filing cabinets having one or more drawers slidably mounted therein, with each drawer having a laterally spaced pair of upper support rails for accommodating the individual file folders. Each file folder is a document receptacle formed from a single sheet of suitable material (typically durable paper stock) folded about the longitudinal center. Each leaf of a file folder is provided with a mechanical brace secured to the upper margin of the associated leaf. Each brace is provided with a pair of downwardly opening channels adjacent the opposite ends thereof and designed to receive the drawer support rails of the respective cabinet drawer when the file folder is installed in the drawer. Thus, the lateral spacing of the channels of the braces is chosen to match the lateral separation distance of the drawer support rails. In use, one or more documents are inserted into the folder space between leaves of the file folder, and the file folder is installed in one of the cabinet drawers by manipulating the file folder downward into an open cabinet drawer until the channels are received by the cabinet support rails. When the document is to be retrieved, the normally-closed cabinet drawer is opened, the file folder is either spread apart by the user and the desired document is removed from the folder, or the folder itself is removed from the cabinet support rails, spread apart, and the desired document is removed.
In order to provide some measure of security for a document storage and retrieval system of the type described above, and to facilitate the search for a file folder containing a sought document, various techniques have been introduced. One such technique uses computer controlled access to the individual file cabinet drawers. In a typical system of this type, the user enters a password and the system identifying code for the file folder or document being sought into a computer terminal connected to a system computer. If the password permits access to the system by the user, the system computer searches a system data base for the cabinet and drawer location of the item being sought, sends the address signals to the filing cabinets and, if a match is found, signals the cabinet in which the item resides to illuminate a visible indicator located on the drawer front of the drawer containing the file folder in which the sought item is presumably located and to unlock the drawer containing the sought item. The user is then permitted to open the drawer and search for the file folder. The file folders have visible indicators located along the upper margin, which can be activated when the file folder is the one sought. Once the file folder is located, the user can then extract the document sought. If the user disconnects any file folder brace from the cabinet support rails during this process, this event is detected by sensing circuitry in the cabinet and information regarding the identity of the disconnected file folder is transmitted back to the system computer. An example of such a file cabinet system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,471,717 issued Jun. 25, 2013 for “Collective Objects Management System With Object Identification Using Addressable Decoder Units”, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Another document storage and retrieval system involves the use of notebook binders removably stored on shelves of open-faced cabinets. This type of binder management system utilizes a cabinet with shelves for removable storage of electronically searchable binders. Each binder has a body with front and rear covers and a spine. Inside the body is a binder mechanism for removably retaining documents. Each binder has externally extending upper and lower ohmic contact members which ohmically engage conductive members mounted on the confronting shelf surfaces near the front of the cabinet. Each binder has a binder identification circuit coupled to an LED mounted on the binder spine in a location visible when the binder rests on a shelf. When a binder identification signal from a host computer is presented to the shelf conductive members it is transferred by the binder contact members to the binder identification circuit. If the binder identification signal matches a code stored in the binder identification circuit, the binder LED is activated to aid the user in finding the binder. An LED and an optional audible indicator are mounted on the shelves to further aid the user in finding the sought binder. An example of this type of document storage and retrieval system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,717,143 issued May 6, 2014 for “Searchable Binder”, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
While the file cabinet/file folder arrangement and the notebook binder arrangement described above have been adopted for document storage and retrieval purposes, there are users who would prefer that file folders containing documents be retrievably stored on the shelves of open-faced cabinets. Such users disdain the use of notebook binders for storing a few documents since the binders occupy a relatively large amount of lateral shelf space compared to the thickness of the collection of documents contained in the binder. In addition, the document retaining mechanism-such as a three-ring binder-mechanically deforms the contained documents: for example, by requiring that holes be formed in each document-which is not always acceptable. Currently available file folders-such as those described above-are simply incompatible with open-faced cabinets having individual shelves. Consequently, the need exists for a document storage and retrieval system which employs relatively narrow electronically searchable file folders which can be removably stored on the shelves of open-faced cabinets.
A first attempt at such a system design made by the applicant is depicted in FIGS. 1-3. As seen in these Figs., a file folder 10 fabricated from a suitable material, such as plastic or durable paper stock, has an edge portion 12 containing system electronics (not shown) for enabling communication with a host computer. This electronic communication is enabled by spring-loaded probe pins 15A, 15B mounted at the top of edge portion 12 and spring-loaded probe pins 16A, 16B mounted at the bottom edge of edge portion 12. A pair of LEDs 17, 18 is mounted on edge portion 12: one of which is activated when the file folder 10 is inserted into a track receptacle described below and power is applied to the system electronics, the other of which is activated when the folder address stored in file folder 10 matches an inquiry address from the host computer. File folder 10 is also equipped with a maneuvering handle 19 to facilitate insertion and removal of file folder 10 in the track receptacle.
As best shown in FIG. 3, a conventional open-faced shelved cabinet is provided with upper and lower track receptacles 20, 22 which provide mechanical support for file folders 10 and ohmic connection between probe pins 15Am 15B, 16A, 16B and data and electrical power sources. Upper and lower track receptacles 20, 22 are essentially identical in construction and each includes a plurality of laterally spaced, vertically extending guides 23 for slidably accommodating the upper and lower portions of each file folder 10. Each track receptacle is provided with an electrically conductive strip (not shown) which extends laterally of the cabinet opening and is positioned to make ohmic contact with probe pins 15A, 15B, 16A, 16B when a file folder is installed. To install a file folder 10, the file folder 10 is grasped by the handle 19 with one hand, the other hand helps to steady the file folder 10 in the vertical direction while the upper and lower portions of file folder 10 are inserted into the space between adjacent guides, and the file folder is advanced into the track receptacles 20, 22 until the rear edge encounters a limit stop. To remove, the user simply grasps the handle 19 and pulls in the outward direction until the file folder 10 is free of the track receptacles 20, 22.
While functional, the design of FIGS. 1-3 suffers from several disadvantages. Firstly, when a file folder is moving inwardly of the track receptacles 20, 22 the probe pins 15A, 15B, 16A, 16B encounter a horizontal force due to friction between them and the confronting surface of the track receptacles 20, 22. This can cause excessive wear and premature failure of a given probe pin. Further, the relatively thin nature of the file folder 10 causes deflection from side to side during insertion, which makes the installation process somewhat unwieldy. In addition, the portrait orientation of an installed file folder 10 (i.e., the larger dimension is in a vertical orientation, while the smaller dimension is in a horizontal orientation) requires a greater minimum vertical separation between adjacent shelves in the cabinet, which dictates either a cabinet having a substantially larger vertical dimension or a cabinet having fewer vertically spaced shelves. Efforts to date to design a document storage and retrieval system devoid of these disadvantages and which employs relatively narrow electronically searchable file folders which can be removably stored between adjacent shelves of open-faced shelved cabinets have not met with success.